caponette



United States Patent HAIR CURLER Simon L. Caponette, North Andovcr, Mass.

Application August 6,1953, Serial N o.-372,734

4 Claims. (Cl. 132-40) This invention relates to hair curlers and pertains more particularly to a curler suitable for making small flat curls of the type known as pin curls. The curler here disclosed is capable of general use but 'is especially effective for permanent waving.

The usual practice in permanent waving is first to alter the structure of the hair so'thatit *has a general curly quality, and then to set the hair, after the'permanent curliness has been imparted, according to .the style desired. No attempt is made, in the first step of the process to set the curls according to a particular style, this be'ing done in the second setting and waving operation. The-usual process is first to condition the hair by shampooing and drying. The hair is then'separatedi-into strands, and each strand .is soaked with waving solution and wound around a curler of fairly large diameter which is rolled up, parallel to the head. The solution is activated forj'acertain length of time by heat or by'drying, then rin'sed'out and neutralized by applying another type of solution. The hair must then be unwound from the waving curlers and reset in the style desired.

Most of the more popular hair styles involve waves and short curls laid flat against the head, so that the hair must be trained in a different direction from that which it occupied while on the waving curlers. For this purpose it is necessary to use a heavy, viscous slow-drying wave solution, and the setting involves considerable labor on the part of the operator and requires the use of numerous pins and clips which must all be removed when the hair is dry. The whole procedure ordinarily requires three or four hours.

This method of waving has several other disadvantages beside the time and labor required. For example, it is very difiicult to wave short strands of hair evenly because the large curlers employed cannot be brought close enough to the scalp. If smaller curlers are used, the resulting wave is likely to be too fuzzy or kinky. Furthermore, when the hair is again washed it tends to spring back to the position occupied by the waving curlers, and must be reset each time with heavy solution.

The chief object of this invention is to produce a curler for permanent waving by means of which a curl can be placed in the exact position desired for the final result, so that any desired styling, including groups of flat pin curls, can be introduced in the initial waving operation. Another object is to produce a curler which can be rolled very close to the scalp, thus curling a strand uniformly up to the roots and which will firmly grip and curl short strands without causing undersirable kinkiness. Other objects include provision for stacking a group of curlers together to form a handle by which the end curler of the stack can be readily and easily applied, and provision of an automatic lock which springs into place without disturbing the wound curl, and holds the curler firmly against the head in the exact position desired.

By means of the type of curlers here described, the hair can be permanently waved, and set in the desired style, in a single operation, thus eliminating the labor of set- "ice in the desired direction 'In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig; 1 illustrates how an operator winds curls, employing a curler constructed according to the invention,

"Fig;'2 illustrates a number of curlers in place on head,

Fig. '3 is a side view, partly in cross-section, of a stack of curlers, with a strand of hair wound around the curler at the bottom of the stack,

Fig.4 is a plan view of one of'the curlers, Fig. 5 is a 'side view ofa curler, Fig. 6 isa front view of a curler, and

Fig. ""7 is a cross-section taken along line 77 of The body of the curlerconsists of a cylinder10, having a reduced upper end 11, with a transverse slot 12, ex-

corrosion-resistantmaterial, for example aluminum or *plastic. "The lower part of the body is hollowed out to form a.-recess 13 which is of an internal diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the upper en'dll, so thatthe reduced-end of one curler will fit into thebodyof another. A pin 14 is mounted :in the-body of the curler at right-angles to slot 12' justabove the bottom of the slot. -Around'theexposed central part of the pin is wound a coil spring 15 having extending spring arms 16 and 17. The arms are bent downward to form bowed portions 18 and 19, which normally lie close to the outer sides of body 10. At the lower ends of the bowed portions, are bent out feet 20 and 21.

To stack the curlers, the arms 16 and 17, of each curler are bent back and thrust into the recess 13 of the next, and the curlers are pushed together until the reduced portion 11 of the lower curler seats in the recess 13 of the adjoining curler. In this position, the feet 20 and 21 of the bent back arms of the lower curler are received in the slot 12 of the next curler above. Any number of curlers may be stacked in this manner. The spring pressure of the bent back arms, and the engagement of the feet with the slots tends to hold the stack rigid. The stack forms a handle by which the lowermost curler can be conveniently manipulated for winding the hair.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate how a coiffeur consisting of groups of pin curls is set for permanent waving by means of this device. The stack of curlers 22 is grasped by the upper end and a strand of hair 23 is wound around the lowermost curler 24. The curler is drawn up close to the roots of the strand placed flat against the head in the exact position where the curl is desired to remain. The wound curler is then pulled out of the stack, and its arms 16 and 17 snap down so that the bowed portions 18 and 19 clamp the wound strand to the curler and hold the curler in place. The feet 20 and 21 press against the scalp and prevent the curler from tilting.

For permanent waving the strands are moistened with the wave solution and the hair is wound on the curlers in the manner just described. Additional curlers may be applied to the stack from time to time to maintain a convenient length. The wave solution is allowed to take effect for the desired length of time and then neutralized by applying a second solution according to the usual practice. With the curlers still in place, the hair is thoroughly rinsed and then dried. When the curlers are removed the job is complete, as the curls were formed to the desired style during the permanent waving operation.

' normally maintained thereby in a position to lie along the sides of said body in its axial direction and urged inward toward said body, said arms being swingable in said direction against the force of the, spring for retracting to a position extending away from said body within a projection of its interior surface, in which position said arms may be inserted into the body of a curler of similar construction.

2. A hair curler as described in claim 1, said body having notches in its sides adjacent said spring adapted to engage the ends of the retracted and inserted arms of a second similarly constructed curler when the two curlers are coaxially aligned, whereby the two curler bodies are locked together in coaxial relationship.

3. A hair curler comprising: a generally cylindrical body having a neck portion of reduced diameter at one s end; a central groove running transversely through said neck portion and extending into said body; a cylindrical recess inthe other end of said body, of substantially the diameterof said neck portion and extending to said groove; a-pin mounted in said body, disposed perpendicularly across said groove; a coil spring mounted on said pin within said groove; a pair of L-shaped arms one attached to either end of said spring and extending out through said groove and normally lying along either side tion may be fitted into the body recess of a curler of similar construction.

4. A hair curling device consisting of a plurality of individual curlers stacked end to end in line, each curler comprising: a cylindrical body having a neck portion of reduced diameter; a central groove running transversely through said neck portion; a cylindrical recess in the end of said body opposite said neck, said recess being of a diameter to fit that of said neck portion; a pair of L-shaped arms mounted to swing about a common axis disposed across said body adjacent said groove; a spring adapted normally to maintain said arms in a position to lie along opposite sides of said body, said arms being retractible into said groove against the force of said spring to lie in line-with said neck; the neck and arms of each curler being fitted within the recess of a curler adjoining with the free ends of the arms projecting out through the groove of the adjoining curler to engage the body wall thereof and lock the curlers together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,174,479 Quady Sept. 26, 1939 2,195,300 Fuscaldo Mar. 26, 1940 2,450,542 Eppich Oct. 5, 1948 2,558,305 Marvin June 26, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 78,155 Norway Feb. 26, 1951 823,327 Germany Dec. 3, 1951 692,459 Great Britain June 3, 1953 

